Life is busy. So. Busy. That's no excuse, I know, but May and June have been crazy with work travel. I've been on the road six out of the last eight weeks, and it's exhausting, let me tell you. On the plus side, I've been racking up those HHonors points for future fun travel, so score! Now onto the wine... I returned home from my travels last weekend to an empty home (plus a dog). Kevin was off gallivanting around Charleston and I wanted a nice, cold bottle of rosé for the weekend. I stopped in the Total Wine that just happens to be across the way from where our dog was being boarded, and what do you know... they have a huge display of rosé! I browsed through the description cards, liked the sound of the Domaine Mousset, and the price was right. I just hoped it didn't disappoint!

The Facts

Producer: Domaine Mousset

Region: Côtes du Rhône, France

Vintage: 2015

Variety: Grenache - 60%, Carignan - 30%, Cinsault - 10%

Where I purchased: Total Wine

Price: $12.99

Eyes: The picture does a pretty good job of showing an accurate color. It may be a bit lighter than it shows, but not much. There's a definite pink tinge or salmon-ish color, which to me gave me an idea of bold flavor. My advice: DON'T fall into that trap! I listened to a great podcast on rosé from Wine For Normal People and the guest, a rosé expert, pointed that out specifically.

Nose: This wine was very fragrant, smelling strongly of strawberry and watermelon, if you can believe it. There was also a hint of cherry, but it was very fruity on the nose.

Mouth: Wow, STRAWBERRY! That was definitely what stood out the most. Fruit, all fruit. It had good weight and what they call "mouth feel"... wasn't too heavy or too light in body. With it being chilled, the acidity was very nice. I think some people could see this as "sweet", but I really think it's just really fruity.

Thoughts: I am a HUGE fan of this rosé! If you tend to lean toward more of a mineral flavor profile when it comes to white or rosé then this may be too fruity for you, but I love it. I think that it has great flavor and I still find it has enough minerality to be refreshing. This is perfect for the summer and rosé is actually a wine that pairs with a lot so it'd be a great addition to a July 4th BBQ! At the low price of $12.99, this is a must!